All posts tagged cable tv

The cable industry is in the middle of a consolidation drama, and the chief executives of many of the companies that could be involved in the next round of deals–Cox Communications, Cablevision Systems Corp., Liberty Global, Charter Communications Inc. and Time Warner Cable–sat down at a general session panel at the National Cable Telecommunications Association annual show in Chicago. Read More »

We are moving into a world in which only worthy TV programming can survive. Shows that aren’t up to these high standards are losing audience, and those that people are indifferent to are suffering as well. The “new golden age of TV,” as some have called it, is causing people to abandon TV that isn’t so golden.

The death of indifferent viewing will actually precede the widely-anticipated disruption of the cable bundle, ushering in a survival-of-the-fittest situation for TV networks. Read More »

Sports juggernaut ESPN is raising objections to Verizon FiOS’ plans to break up the traditional TV bundle and offer customers more choice in constructing their package of channels. ESPN said that Verizon does not have the right to place ESPN or ESPN 2 into separate sports tiers that aren’t part of the core package. Read More »

For consumers looking to trim down their monthly cable bills, there are a dizzying number of options hitting the market.

On Friday, Verizon added to the mix with a new set of plans that let customers mix and match groups of channels, on top of a core package of about 36 networks, including the major broadcasters.

Where does that fit in with your current cable package, Netflix, Dish’s Sling TV, Sony’s Vue, HBO Now, and all the rest? What’s a consumer to do with all this info? What options will actually result in savings? We at CMO Today took out our calculators and started sorting through it all. Read More »

As television networks head into the annual “upfront” advertising-selling season, ESPN is trying to convince marketers that the key to effective ads is getting in front of viewers across all their devices. New research from the ESPN Lab found that combining TV commercials with digital video ads can increase awareness and, perhaps most importantly, a consumer’s intent to purchase. Read More »

CABLE CONFAB: How worried are cable TV executives about falling ratings and the explosion of streaming video among former traditional-TV-loving Americans? If they weren’t already freaking out, they probably were after the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau last week gave a talk on the subject to a room of full of network ad executives, reports CMO Today. The picture painted wasn’t pretty: the CAB showed research finding that nearly 40% of TV’s third and fourth quarter ratings declines were due to subscription Web TV services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. Yikes. Guess what the media industry did over the past half decade? Feed the rise of Netflix by providing it with lots of off-cable repeats that got millions of people in the habit of commercial-free binging. Oops. That move “sounded like a good idea” said Scripps Networks Chief Revenue Officer Steve Gigliotti. Now, based on one estimate, Netflix households stream 100 minutes of content a day. Read More »

CABLE CLUTTER: The cable TV industry has had a tough run of late. Last year’s TV upfront sales period was subpar and ratings have been in the tank for many major networks. But you have to credit these companies for ingenuity when it comes to ad sales. Networks like TBS have actually been slightly speeding up shows and movies, like episodes of “Seinfeld” and “The Wizard of Oz,” so they can shove in more ads during these broadcasts, reports WSJ. There’s a fine line between clever and desperate, and this move is teetering toward the latter. Cable networks like TBS, TNT, and TV Land are already struggling to adapt to a media landscape where consumers are more loyal to shows than stations, and less people are likely to flip around and stumble upon old movies and reruns. Now, with some cable networks averaging close to 20 minutes an hour of commercials, they could be seriously threatening viewer tolerance levels. Read More »

THE END OF IMPULSE: Say goodbye to the impulse shopper. A new WSJ report chronicles how “intentionality” has taken control of shopping, as savvy consumers are becoming more deliberate in the age of online purchasing. No longer do families simply pile up the shopping cart with this and that; instead they choose only to visit stores when they run out of commodity items like cereal or toilet paper — and they arrive armed with knowledge from online research. Sure, some of it has to do with “lingering frugality after the trauma of the financial crisis,” the story notes, but there’s also a deeper shift in basic shopping habits. The trend comes as retail giants like Wal-Mart and Target struggle with sagging store traffic. Even the basic idea of a “megastore” is at risk in the Internet shopping era. Indeed, groceries now account for 56% of Wal-Mart’s $279 billion in domestic sales, with categories like electronics and toys shifting online. Read More »

WEB TV, MEET FCC: A slew of companies are looking to disrupt the cable TV universe with Web-delivered TV packages. But just how disruptive companies like Sony, Dish and Verizon can be with their Web TV plays remains to be seen, as the cable business has proven hard to shake up. And now they may have a new ally/obstacle. More in the full post. Read More »

CABLE UPFRONT BLUES: If you’re a casual follower of the TV business, you may have just noticed that the broadcast networks ratings are down, and that cable (along with Netflix) dominated the recent Emmy nominations. In other words, you might think cable’s hot and broadcast is not. It turns out, neither are hot. At least, that is, based on the current upfront selling season, which was looking lackluster a few weeks ago when the broadcast networks wrapped up their selling. Now, the cable upfront is looking worse than expected, and two of the biggest advertisers on the planet, Procter & Gamble Co.and General Motors Co., are pulling back on TV ad commitments, reports WSJ. What’s going on here? Well ratings haven’t been spectacular for some of the broader cable networks. Online video outlets are pushing hard for ad budgets. And perhaps surprisingly, advertisers are citing the economy as a factor in holding back budgets and decision making. That’s in light of some improved indicators of late, including pretty strong job numbers in June. Perhaps all of this is true. Or perhaps chief marketing officers don’t want to admit they are finally losing some confidence in TV and are seeing less value in locking up their budgets so far in advance when most cable networks will gladly sell to them later in year. Read More »

About CMO Today

CMO Today is an offering from The Wall Street Journal, helping marketing executives discern who and what matters in marketing today. Contact our editors with news items, comments and questions at CMOToday@WSJ.com.